Dawson City weather in December

In December, Dawson City sees average daytime highs of -19°C and overnight lows near -25°C, with 14 mm of precipitation across 4.3 wet days and about 3.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -18°C in the first days to -21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 36 min at the start of December to 3 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dawson City's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dawson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-19°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-25°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
14 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
3 h 42 min
11:23 AM – 3:04 PM
Cloud cover
73%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
0.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Dawson City is town in Yukon Territory, Canada.

Density
42/km²
people per km²
Founded
1896

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -18°C in the first days to -21°C by the end.

A typical December day in Dawson City reaches about -19°C in the afternoon and slips back to -25°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -32°C and -8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-40°-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-18-24
2-18-24
3-18-24
4-18-25
5-18-25
6-18-25
7-18-25
8-18-25
9-18-25
10-18-25
11-19-25
12-19-25
13-19-25
14-19-25
15-19-25
16-19-25
17-19-25
18-19-25
19-19-25
20-20-26
21-20-26
22-20-26
23-20-26
24-20-26
25-20-26
26-20-26
27-21-27
28-21-27
29-21-27
30-21-27
31-21-27

How December really feels in Dawson City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Dawson City weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-22° / -28°103.34.250.0
Feb-16° / -23°623.17.90.0
Mar-6° / -18°82.73.411.20.0
Apr / -6°164.83.714.60.6
May14° / 399.61.317.94.0
Jun19° / 6313.5020.15.5
Jul20° / 10°7214.2019.25.6
Aug17° / 5310.9016.15.2
Sep11° / 378.81.112.72.6
Oct-1° / -8°266.96.19.30.0
Nov-15° / -21°165.16.560.0
Dec-19° / -25°144.35.43.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42773
52773
62773
72674
82674
92575
102476
112476
122476
132476
142575
152575
162575
172575
182674
192773
202872
212971
222971
233070
243169
253169
263367
273367
283466
293664
303664
313763

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dawson City gets around 14 mm of rain and snow over 4.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11620
21620
31619
41519
51519
61519
71519
81519
91518
101418
111418
121418
131418
141418
151418
161418
171418
181418
191318
201318
211317
221317
231317
241316
251216
261216
271216
281215
291215
301215
311114

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 36 min at the start of December to 3 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 10:51 AM to 11:27 AM, and sunset from 3:24 PM to 3:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.610:513:24
24.510:543:22
34.410:563:20
44.310:593:18
54.311:023:17
64.211:043:15
74.111:063:13
84.111:093:12
94.011:113:11
103.911:133:09
113.911:153:08
123.811:173:07
133.811:193:06
143.811:203:05
153.711:223:05
163.711:233:04
173.711:253:04
183.611:263:04
193.611:273:04
203.611:283:04
213.611:283:04
223.611:293:05
233.611:293:05
243.611:303:06
253.611:303:07
263.611:303:08
273.711:293:09
283.711:293:10
293.711:293:11
303.811:283:13
313.811:273:15

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.07 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.07 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.1Dim
190.1Dim
200.1Dim
210.1Dim
220.1Dim
230.1Dim
240.1Dim
250.1Dim
260.1Dim
270.1Dim
280.1Dim
290.1Dim
300.1Dim
310.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Dawson City?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dawson City.

What to pack for Dawson City in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Dawson City sees daytime highs around -19°C and nights near -25°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Dawson City in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dawson City peaks around June 22 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJun 22UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Dawson City in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Dawson City is worst in July — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 127.7× the cleanest month (January, 0 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1938 µg/m³Jan 10 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan0Good
Feb1Good
Mar3Good
Apr6Good
May16Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul38Poor
Aug34Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct1Good
Nov0Good
Dec0Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dawson City?

Dawson City sits at 64.1°N, 139.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Badger, 397 km away.

WhitehorseJuneauTerraceYellowknife

Topography around Dawson City

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dawson City.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dawson City has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m around an average of 464 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,992 m.

The land around Dawson City is covered by trees (77%) within 3 km, trees (93%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
562 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
1,992 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Badger 397 km · Fairbanks 406 km · Whitehorse 435 km · Eagle River 599 km · Anchorage 620 km · Juneau 694 km · Terrace 1,223 km · Yellowknife 1,258 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Dawson City (64.0601°, -139.4333°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).